Methods and apparatuses for convective polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for amplifying a nucleic acid sequence by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The method comprises placing a PCR sample in a container which is heated by only a single heat source that provides a high temperature for denaturation in the bottom of the PCR sample, while annealing and extension automatically occur in different regions of the PCR sample due to the convection induced by a temperature gradient descending from the bottom of the PCR sample to the surface of the PCR sample.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION PARAGRAPH

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/023,219 filed on Jan. 24, 2008, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of amplifying nucleic acid sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). More specifically, the present invention relates to convective PCR methods and apparatuses thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Amplification of specific nucleic acid sequences via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a mature technique and a powerful tool in medical and biological researching. Three major steps, “denaturation,” “annealing” and “extension,” each requiring different reaction temperatures, are necessary in this biochemical process. In today's commercialized PCR amplification technology, a sample is prepared to contain a template DNA to be amplified, a pair of oligonucleotide primers complementary to a specific sequence of each single strand of the template DNA, a thermostable DNA polymerase, and deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTP). A specific portion of the nucleic acid sequence of the template DNA is then amplified by repeatedly heating and cooling the sample so that the sample is cycled through three different temperatures.

The first step in PCR is the denaturation step, in which the sample is heated to a high temperature so that the double-stranded template DNA is separated into single-stranded DNAs. The second step is the annealing step, in which the sample is cooled to a lower temperature so that the primers can bind to the single-stranded DNAs formed in the first step, forming DNA-primer complexes. The last step is the polymerization (extension) step, in which the sample is maintained at a suitable temperature and the primers in the DNA-primer complexes are extended by the action of the DNA polymerase, thereby generating new single-stranded DNAs that are complementary to each strand of the template DNA. In each cycle consisting of the above three steps, the DNA sequences between the binding sites of the two primers are replicated. Typically, millions of the target nucleic acid sequence copies can be produced by repeating the PCR cycle which comprises the three steps of denaturation, annealing and extension, at different temperatures respectively for about 20 to 40 times.

The temperature of the denaturation step typically ranges from 90 to 94° C. The temperature of the annealing step is selected according to the melting temperatures (T_(m)) of the primers used, which typically ranges from 35 to 65° C. The typical temperature for the polymerization step is 72° C., since the most frequently used DNA polymerase, Taq DNA polymerase (a thermostable DNA polymerase extracted from Thermus aquaticus), has optimal activity at that temperature. Since Taq DNA polymerase has a broad range of temperature, a two-step temperature cycle can also be used, in which the polymerization temperature is almost the same as the annealing temperature.

In a conventional commercial PCR machine (i.e., a thermocycler), the temperature of the sample is controlled by a thermal conduction. Briefly, a reaction vessel containing the PCR sample is made in contact with a solid metal block having a high thermal conductivity. The metal block is connected to heating and cooling devices so that its temperature can be changed to achieve desired temperatures. The conventional PCR machine adopting such method often uses a gold-plated silver block that has very high thermal conductivity and/or the Peltier cooling method in order to achieve rapid temperature changes. However, conventional PCR thermal cycling is an inefficient process because it requires the heating and cooling of material other than the PCR sample itself, which takes additional time and energy. In addition, thermocyclers are generally expensive due to the delicate nature of the machine.

Convective PCR methods were developed to perform PCR on an apparatus with two temperature-controlled devices (Krishnan, M. et al., 2002, Science 298: 793). Benett et al., disclosed the methods and apparatuses for convective PCR (CPCR), wherein the convectively-driven sample solution circulates in a sealed O-shaped chamber heated at one side in U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,233, issued on Jul. 1, 2003. Hwang et al. disclosed the methods and apparatuses for convective PCR, wherein multiple heat sources are used to maintain different temperature zones in the sample solution so that the three steps of PCR occur sequentially and repeatedly while the sample cycles between each zone in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/801,342, published on Mar. 15, 2004 under US Publication No. 2004/0152122.

Although some methods have been provided for a convective PCR, for which the apparatuses were involved complicated structures, and were expensive, therefore hindering their commercial application. There is still a need for a more convenient and practical method and apparatus for a convective PCR (CPCR).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel method and apparatus for conveniently, efficiently and economically performing convective PCR (CPCR).

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for amplifying a target nucleic acid sequence via polymerase chain reaction (PCR), comprising the steps of:

-   -   (1) providing a tube-like container;     -   (2) placing a PCR sample in a tube-like container, wherein the         PCR sample contains a template DNA having the target nucleic         acid sequence to be amplified, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)         polymerases, deoxyadenosine triphosphates (dATPs), deoxycytidine         triphosphates (dCTPs), deoxyguanosine triphosphates (dGTPs),         deoxythymidine triphosphates (dTTPs), and at least two         oligonucleotide primers having a sequence complementary to the         3′ end of the target nucleic acid sequence wherein the primers         are designed to have a melting temperature (T_(m)) between about         40° C. to about 90° C.;     -   (3) embedding the bottom part of the container in a heat source,         and then heating the PCR sample to allow the primers melt and         maintaining a steady temperature in ° C. of the surface of the         PCR sample (Ts) less than the temperature in ° C. of the melting         temperature of the primers (T_(m)) by at least about 2° C. so         that a temperature gradient descending from the bottom to the         top of the PCR sample is resulted, which induces a convection         and makes the following events occur sequentially and repeatedly         within different regions of the sample: (i) denaturation, in         which the double-stranded template DNA separates into two         single-stranded DNAs, (ii) annealing, in which the primers         hybridize to the single-stranded DNAs, forming DNA-primer         complexes, and (iii) polymerization (extension), in which the         primers in the DNA-primer complexes are extended by the DNA         polymerase.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for performing a nucleic acid sequence amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) through the method of the present invention, comprising (i) a single heat source; and (ii) one or more tube-like containers in which the PCR is performing; and (iii) a holder with a means for homogenizing the heat accumulated by in multiple containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings some embodiments, which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is the sketch of an ideal single circular convective flow of a CPCR according the present invention, wherein the axis of X represents a time scale, and the axis of Y represents a temperature scale, 10, 20 and 30 means the ranges of the temperatures for the three events occurring in a PCR including denaturation, annealing and extension, respectively; and wherein FIG. 1A shows the temperature changes of a PCR sample in a CPCR according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B shows the temperature changes of a PCR sample in a conventional PCR as comparison.

FIG. 2 is an image showing the PCR results of Example 1, wherein lanes 1 and 2 represent the results of two repetitive experiments using the same sample and protocol, while lane 3 represents the result of a negative control.

FIG. 3 is an image showing the PCR results of Example 2, wherein each of the lanes remarked as “CPCR” is the result of the PCR sample by the method according to the present invention using the primer pair having a melting temperature (T_(m)) as the number indicated in the top of each lane, at the temperature of the surface of the PCR sample being 68° C.; and each of the lanes remarked as “Conventional PCR” is the result of the same sample by the method of a conventional PCR as comparison.

FIG. 4 is an image showing one embodiment of the apparatus with heat homogenizers according to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows the CPCR results of Example 3 using the CPRC method according to the invention by the apparatuses with and without heat homogenizers; wherein FIG. 5A shows the numbering of the positions of the samples; FIG. 5B shows the CPCR results by the apparatus without heat homogenizers; and FIG. 5C shows the CPCR results by the apparatus with heat homogenizers.

FIG. 6 shows the variations of the surface temperatures (Ts) of the PCR sample of each of the samples numbered 1-8 as shown in FIG. 5A, by the CPCR method according to the invention for two groups using the apparatus with and without heat homogenizers, wherein the curve A (-♦-) represents the variations of the group using the apparatus without heat homogenizers and the curve B (-▪-) represents the variations of the group using the apparatus with heat homogenizers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel method and apparatus for performing a convective PCR.

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for amplifying a target nucleic acid sequence by PCR, comprising the steps of:

-   -   (1) providing a tube-like container;     -   (2) placing a PCR sample in a tube-like container, wherein the         PCR sample contains a template DNA having the target nucleic         acid sequence to be amplified, DNA polymerases, deoxyadenosine         triphosphates (dATPs), deoxycytidine triphosphates (dCTPs),         deoxyguanosine triphosphates (dGTPs), deoxythymidine         triphosphates (dTTPs), and at least two oligonucleotide primers         having a sequence complementary to the 3′ end of the target         nucleic acid sequence wherein the primers are designed to have a         melting temperature (T_(m)) between about 40° C. to about 90°         C.;     -   (3) embedding the bottom part of the container in a heat source,         and then heating the PCR sample to allow the primers melt and         maintaining a steady temperature in ° C. of the surface of the         PCR sample (Ts) less than the temperature in ° C. of the melting         temperature of the primers (T_(m)) by at least about 2° C. so         that a temperature gradient descending from the bottom to the         top of the PCR sample is resulted, which induces a convection         and makes the following events occur sequentially and repeatedly         in different regions of the sample: (i) denaturation, in which         the double-stranded template DNA separates into two         single-stranded DNAs, (ii) annealing, in which the primers         hybridize to the single-stranded DNAs, forming DNA-primer         complexes, and (iii) polymerization, in which the primers in the         DNA-primer complexes are extended by the DNA polymerase.

To perform the convective PCR (CPCR) of the present invention, the random and chaotic natural convection in a PCR sample must be converted into a steady single convection cycle so that template DNA can be amplified step-by-step while cycling at different temperatures required for the different events. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are three events occurring in a PCR: (i) denaturation at a high temperature by heating, (ii) annealing and (iii) extension (polymerization) at the temperatures lower than the temperature for denaturation. Specially, in a convective PCR, the low temperature should be maintained for a sufficient time for performing the annealing of the PCR sample.

It was unexpectedly found in the present invention that when a steady temperature in ° C. of the surface of the PCR sample (Ts) is kept at a temperature less than the temperature in ° C. of the melting temperature of the primers (T_(m)) by at least about 2° C., a temperature gradient descending from the bottom to the top of the PCR sample is resulted, which induces a convection and makes the events occur sequentially and repeatedly in the different regions of the PCR sample, which was illustrated in Example 2.

In the method of the present invention, the tube-like container may be sealed with an oil to avoid evaporation of the sample during the reaction. In an embodiment of the present invention, the oil may be a mineral oil. According to the invention, a drop of mineral oil may be added on the top of the PCR sample so that the surface of the sample is covered by the oil.

To perform the convective PCR of the present invention, a temperature gradient descending from the bottom to the top of the PCR sample must be maintained. This is achieved by heating the bottom part of the tube-like container, while maintaining a steady temperature in ° C. of the surface of the PCR sample (Ts) less than the temperature in ° C. of the melting temperature of the primers (T_(m)) by at least about 2° C. This can be achieved by designing appropriate primers having a given melting temperature and controlling the parameters of the PCR.

To achieve the single circular convective flow, a computer simulation for the CPCR according to the invention was conducted to learn the relationship between the parameters of the PCR: the viscosity in Ns/m² of the PCR solution (μ), the inner diameter in mm of the container (d), and the surface temperature in ° C. of the PCR sample (Ts), which may be determined according to the formula below: V=(A×T _(s) +B−500μ+0.7)×e ^((1.86+100μ)d)

in which A is a value between −0.019 and −0.016, and B is a value between 1.85 and 2.27. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, A is a value of −0.01812, and B is a value of 2.1.

In the embodiments of the present invention as found, Ts is between about 40° C. and about 80° C.; μ is between 0.001 Ns/m² and 0.0018 Ns/m²; and d is between 0.6 mm and 5.0 mm. In a more preferred embodiment, Ts is between about 55° C. and about 70° C.; μ is between 0.001 Ns/m² and 0.0016 Ns/m²; and d is between 0.8 mm and 4.0 mm. In the most preferred embodiment, Ts is between about 65° C. and about 68° C.; μ is between 0.001 Ns/m² and 0.0014 Ns/m²; and d is between 0.8 mm and 2.5 mm.

To increase the viscosity of the PCR sample, nonreactive liquid materials may be added to the sample. Suitable materials are any nonreactive organic or inorganic materials, including but not limited to glycerol, NP-40, Tween 20, EDTA, DMSO, formamide, betain, and gelatin. Preferred materials are glycerol, NP-40, Tween 20, and EDTA. The most preferred material is glycerol. The amount of the viscosity-increasing material added should be any amount able to achieve the required viscosity. In an embodiment of the present invention, 4% to 8% v/v of glycerol is added to the PCR sample.

The present invention provides an apparatus for performing a nucleic acid sequence amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) through the method of the present invention, comprising (i) a single heat source; and (ii) one or more tube-like containers in which the PCR is performing; and (iii) a means for homogenizing heat accumulated in multiple containers.

The heat source used in the present invention may be a simple heating device with a means of temperature control. Suitable heat source include but not limited to dry-bath incubators, water-bath incubators, and oil-bath incubators. In an embodiment of the present invention, the heat source is boiling water.

The tube-like containers of the present invention may be manufactured with any material, as long as the material is biocompatible and has a heat resistance of at least 120° C. Suitable materials include polymeric materials such as polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polysulfone (PSF) and polyether sulfone (PES), as well as glass.

In the embodiment of the invention, the means for homogenizing heat accumulated in multiple containers is a heat homogenizer, which may be made from a metal plate so that the temperatures of the multiple containers can be homogenized in a multiple-tested PCR. The term “heat homogenizer” used herein refers to an external casing usually made from aluminium or copper that is designed to cover an electronic device and dissipate heat, which is usually used for CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a computer. For instance, the apparatus for performing the multiple testing CPCR may comprise a holder equipped with heat homogenizers. In the apparatus according to the invention, the heat homogenizers are used for dissipating heat accumulated in space between the containers for a multiple-testing CPCR. In the embodiment of the invention, the holder is designed for holding multiple containers in a rectangular matrix. In one embodiment of the invention, the holder is designed for holding 96 containers arranged in a 8:12 rectangular matrix.

The apparatus of the present invention may also comprise a means for measuring the temperature at the surface of the PCR sample. An example of such a means is a thermometer.

The present invention is further illustrated with the following examples. These examples are offered for the purpose of illustration and are not to be construed in any way as limiting the scope of the present invention.

EXAMPLES

In the examples below, the following abbreviations have the following meanings: ° C.=degree Celsius; hr=hour; min=minute; sec=second; M=molar; mM=millimolar; μM=micromolar; L or l=liter; ml=milliliter; μl=microliter; G or g=gram; mg=milligram; μg=microgram; pg=picogram. Abbreviations not defined have their generally accepted meanings.

Example 1 1. Materials and Methods

1.1 Sample

The PCR sample contained the following reagents: 3.32 pg of pHBV-48 (GenBank accession No. NC003977) inserted in pGEM®-3Z vector (Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis.) as template DNA, 1.5 pmol of primer F118 (5′-CCTAGCAGCTTGTTTTGCTCGCAGCCG-3′), 1.5 pmol of primer R145 (5′-TCCAGTTGGCAGCACAGCCTAGCAGC-3′), 7.5 μl of LightCycler® FastStart DNA Master HybProbe hot start reaction mix (Rosche Applied Science, Indianapolis, Ind.), and 5% v/v of glycerol.

A computer simulation for simulate the abstract model of the CPRC according to the invention was conducted, and the formula for the parameters was obtained and given below: V=(A×T _(s) +B−500μ+0.7)×e ^((1.86+100μ)d)

wherein A=−0.01812, B=2.1, Ts=68° C., μ=0.0012 Ns/m2, and d=2.2 mm.

Based on the formula, the total volume of the PCR sample being 75.44 could be calculated.

1.2 Apparatus

The apparatus for performing the convective PCR according to the invention was composed of the following elements: a heating tank with temperature-control function; multiple glass capillaries (inner diameter=2.2 mm) as reaction containers; and a holder with heat homogenizers, as shown in FIG. 4.

1.3 Procedure

The temperature of the silicon oil in the heating tank was maintained at 95° C. throughout the experiment. The PCR sample and a negative control (same ingredients as the sample, except that the template DNA was substituted with ddH₂O of the same volume, 30λ) were individually injected into a glass capillary, and sealed with 10 μl of mineral oil. The capillaries were then put on the stand of the heating tank so that the bottom part of each of the capillaries was embedded in the heated silicon oil for 25 mins. During the whole time of reaction, ambient temperature was maintained at room temperature. When time was up, the capillaries were removed from the stand and 2 μl of the resultant mixture in each of the capillaries was taken for electrophoretic analysis.

2. Results

The resulted PCR reaction products were analyzed on 2% agarose gel, and the results are presented in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the bright bands in lanes 1 and 2 show that the convective PCR method of the present invention has correctly amplified the 122-bp target sequence in less than half an hour. When using a conventional thermocycler, the whole reaction would take more than one and a half hours, and still resulted in fewer copies of products (data not shown). Therefore, the method of the present invention is superior to the conventional PCR method in view of its efficiency and economy.

Example 2

Seven primer pairs were designed to have a melting temperature (T_(m)) ranging from 58° C.˜80° C. as shown in Table 1, wherein the value of T_(m) of each primer was calculated using the Program Lightcycler Probe Design 2.0 (Roche, Germany).

A CPCR was performed using each pair of the primers as shown in Table 1 a temperature of the PCR sample (Ts) being 68° C. according to the method and protocol stated in Example 1. The CPCR results were shown in FIG. 3, wherein the 122-bp band was found when the primer having a T_(m) being 70 or more than 70 w used. Given the finding, it was concluded that a CPCR could be successfully performed when the Ts value s less than the T_(m) value by at least about 2° C.

TABLE 1 Sequences as designed primers and Tm values Name mer Tm(° C.) 5′- HBV set 1-F 35 80 GCGGAACTCCTAGCAGCTTGTTTTGCTCGCAGCCG HBV set 1-R 33 80 CGCAGGATCCAGTTGGCAGCACAGCCTAGCAGC HBV set 2-F 27 77 CCTA GCAG CTTG TTTT GCTC GCAG CCG HBV set 2-R 26 76 TCCA GTTG GCAG CACA GCCT AGCA GC HBV set 3-F 23 73 GCAGCTTGTTTTGCTCGCAGCCG HBV set 3-R 22 72 GTTGGCAGCACAGCCTAGCAGC HBV set 4-F 20 70 GCTTGTTTTGCTCGCAGCCG HBV set 4-R 19 70 GGCAGCACAGCCTAGCAGC HBV set 5-F 18 65 TTGTTTTGCTCGCAGCCG HBV set 5-R 17 65 CAGCACAGCCTAGCAGC HBV set 6-F 15 62 TTTTGCTCGCAGCCG HBV set 6-R 15 62 GCACAGCCTAGCAGC HBV set 7-F 13 61 TTGCTCGCAGCCG HBV set 7-R 14 58 CACAGCCTAGCAGC

Example 3

A CPCR using each of the apparatuses with and without a holder with heat homogenizers was performed. The holder was designed for holding 96 containers arranged in a 8 (columns A-H): 12 (lines 1-12) rectangular matrix, see FIG. 4. Ten samples at 10 different positions in this matrix were selected and numbered as indicated in FIG. 5A. The CPCR results were given in FIG. 5B (without heat homogenizers) and 5C (with heat homogenizers). It was shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C that no results were found in the positions 3, 4 and 5 that were around the center of the matrix when the apparatus without heat homogenizers was used; however, while the CPCR results were good in all the positions when the apparatus with heat homogenizers were used.

A further comparison between the apparatuses with and without heat homogenizers was shown in FIG. 6. The surface temperature (Ts) of each of the PCR samples numbered as 1-10 was measured and recorded during 30-minutes after heating; and the variation of the surface temperature (Ts) for each sample during 30 minutes was shown in FIG. 6, wherein the curve A represented the variations of the group using the apparatus without heat homogenizers, and the curve B represents the variations of the group using the apparatus with heat homogenizers. It was indicated that the variations of the Ti values for the group using the apparatus with heat homogenizers were in 1° C.; however, the variations of the group using the apparatus without heat homogenizers were in 2˜3° C. It suggested that the apparatus with heat homogenizers provide a steady surface temperature for each position in one experiment, and a stable thermal condition for the CPCR.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A method for amplifying a target nucleic acid sequence by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), comprising the steps of: (1) providing a tube-like container; (2) placing a PCR sample in the tube-like container, wherein the sample contains a template DNA having the target nucleic acid sequence to be amplified, DNA polymerases, deoxyadenosine triphosphates (dATPs), deoxycytidine triphosphates (dCTPs), deoxyguanosine triphosphates (dGTPs), deoxythymidine triphosphates (dTTPs), and at least two oligonucleotide primers having a sequence complementary to the 3′ end of the target nucleic acid sequence wherein the primers are designed to have a melting temperature (T_(m)) between 40° C. to 90° C.; (3) embedding the bottom part of the container in a heat source, and then heating the PCR sample to allow the primers melt and maintaining a steady temperature in ° C. of the surface of the PCR sample (Ts) in the container less than the temperature in ° C. of the melting temperature of the primers (T_(m)) by at least 2° C., and controlling parameters of the PCR including total volume of the PCR sample (V), viscosity in Ns/m² of the PCR sample (u), inner diameter in mm of the container (d), and surface temperature in ° C. of the PCR sample in the container (Ts) so that a temperature gradient descending from the bottom to the top is resulted in the sample, which induces a convection and makes the following events occur sequentially and repeatedly in different regions of the PCR sample: (i) denaturation, in which the double-stranded template DNA separates into two single-stranded DNAs, (ii) annealing, in which the primers hybridize to the single-stranded DNAs, forming DNA-primer complexes, and (iii) polymerization, in which the primers in the DNA-primer complexes are extended by the DNA polymerase; wherein the parameters of the PCR: the total volume of the PCR sample (V), the viscosity in Ns/m² of the PCR sample (μ), the inner diameter in mm of the container (d), and the surface temperature in ° C. of the PCR sample in the container (Ts), are determined according to the formula below: V=(A×T _(s) +B−500μ+0.7)×e ^((1.86+100μ)d) in which A is a value between −0.019 and −0.016, and B is a value between 1.85 and 2.27.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising after the step (2), a step of adding an oil into the container on the top of the sample to seal the sample, followed by the step (3).
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein A is a value of −0.01812, and B is a value of 2.1.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface temperature of the PCR sample is between 40° C. to 80° C.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface temperature of the PCR sample is between 55° C. to 70° C.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface temperature of the PCR sample is between 65° C. to 68° C.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat source is a dry-bath incubator.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat source is a water-bath incubator.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PCR sample further contains a nonreactive liquid material for increasing the viscosity.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the nonreactive liquid material is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, NP-40, Tween 20, EDTA, DMSO, formamide, betain, and gelatin.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the nonreactive liquid material is glycerol. 